A Combat Sports Legal Resource

Author: EMagraken

The disunified rules of Mixed Martial Arts have nothing on Bare Knuckle Boxing. BKB is illegal in most jurisdictions but is slowly enjoying regulation in more States with a variety of unique paths to legality. Wyoming was the first State to sanction the sport. They did so on the basis that it is a variant … More Let’s Talk Florida and Bare Knuckle Boxing

Adding to the literature supporting the dangers of extreme weight cutting in combat sports, a recent study was published documenting various harmful effects from the practice for a mixed martial artist. In the recent study, titled Extreme Weight Making Causes Relative Energy Deficiency, Dehydration and Acute Kidney Injury in a Male Mixed Martial Arts Athlete, … More Study Documents Harmful Effects of Extreme Weight Cutting in MMA

Adding to this site’s combat sports safety study archives, a study was recently published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation suggesting that athletes exposed to repetitive head impacts that develop depression may be facing further cognitive impairments in the future. In the recent study titled The Relations Among Depression , Cognition and Brain Volume … More Study – Depression May Suggest Future Cognitive Changes for Fighters

Today USADA announced a 180 degree turn on a doping suspension they handed out in 2017. Amanda Ribas tested positive for ostarine following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on June 7, 2017. USADA handed her a 2 year suspension. Ribas “accepted” this sanction. As the suspension neared completion USADA announced that ‘time served is punishment … More Ostarine, Contamination and a Question For USADA

Update May 21, 2019– On Second Reading some of the below text of the Bill has been overhauled. The general substance of the below article remains accurate but for those following this legal development reference should be made to the overhauled language of Bill 100. ________________________________________________________ Last month the Ontario Government’s budget announced plans to … More Ontario Reveals New Combat Sports Act

The Asian combat sports promotion One Championship has just released details of a controversial agent licencing program. In a tweet last night Ariel Helwani published the following details apparently coming from a One Championship press release: …ONE Championship has increased requirements and standards for the ONE Agent Certification Program. The ONE Agent Certification was originally … More ONE Championship Announces Controversial “Agent Certification Program”

Tonight Terence Crawford defeated Amir Khan. The bout ended after Khan could not continue following a low blow. The shot was ruled accidental and Crawford was declared the winner via TKO. So can you win a bout after hitting an opponent with a low blow? The answer, in some jurisdictions, is yes. New York, where … More Let’s Talk New York’s “Low Blow” Rule

From deferring to promoters regarding drug testing to documented regulatory safety concerns Ontario combat sports regulation holds room for improvement. The Provincial Government’s 2019 budget suggests changes are coming. While the details of the legal changes are not entirely clear the budget notes overhaul is contemplated for both amateur and professional combat sports. The budget … More Ontario Budget Suggests “Wider Range” of Combat Sports Are Coming

As previously discussed, UFC owner Zuffa employs an aggressive two pronged legal strategy against commercial establishments that broadcast their Pay Per View programs without purchasing a commercial sub licence to do so. Such Defendants are sued for cable/satellite theft and additionally the UFC seeks damages under the Copyright Act. When these suits are successful Defendants … More $46,000 Legal Fee Assessment Against Defendants Who Unlawfully Displayed UFC Pay Per View

Last year a physician published a case study highlighting a mixed martial artist who developed CTE. The physician suggested that in addition to brain trauma from strikes, frequent chokes in MMA could have played a role in the development of the disease. More recently Dr. Samuel J. Stellpflug, a practitioner of Emergency Medicine in wrote … More Doctor Notes No Supporting Literature That Chokes in MMA Contribute to CTE